A Joyful Existence

In a nutshell...

I have three beautiful children, Mikaela ~ 13 years, Joshua ~ 6 years... and Benjamin is 4 years old. I am married to {the Accountant}, Nathan... he is a wonderful father and step-father & my best friend. I am a Career Mumma, Quilter & Crafter, Mixed Media Artist, Scrapbooker, and Photographer. Creative of all kinds. I am a Marathon Runner in Training (with some injury & false starts)... My LOVES: cooking with my Thermomix, Clean eating, quilting, taking photos, coffee {preferably Illy}, lip gloss, going barefoot, my sisters, fab gal pals and the beach. Life is very good. Thanks for visiting. Oh and I love emails and comments, so don't be shy :)

Find Me Here...

FitMumma

July 2009

Friday, 31 July 2009

Within an hour of arriving home from the hospital with Benjamin, Nathan handed me a beautifully ribbon wrapped gift box. Inside was a Pandora bracelet with a baby carriage and a heart charm... he is so sweet & thoughtful, I could not believe it !! A "thank you for having my baby" gift. I felt bad I didn't have one for him :(

Then my SIL, Cassie, got me a few "spacers" which are totally my style...

There is a ways to go with filling the bracelet up (no hurry, just room)... and the thing I am loving right now with a new baby and a toddler... is online shopping, the kind you can do in your PJs, the kind that delivers straight to your door, the kind that keeps the kidlets home and happy.

Joshua gives you so many kisses and cuddles each day, and lays down beside you.

You love to have your head stroked, and you have the most beautiful softest hair.

When you are particularly upset, you like me to gently rub your ear lobe, just like your brother did when he was little.

I sing this lullaby to you, the very same I sang to Mikaela and Joshua when they were babes... it has a magic soothing effect:

"My My... Me Oh MyHe's as cute as a buttonSweet as pieI love HimOh can't you seeHow I love HimAnd He loves Me"

We've tried to stay home and indoors as much as we can since we got home from the hospital.

We have been to "Paint and Play"... thankfully beautiful Martha was there to help me out (and make me a cuppa, thanks sweets!)

Your Dadda is the sweetest with you... he comes home from work every lunch time to see you.

We just adore you and I think you are the most remarkable little bubba... I stare at you for hours. My favourite time is when we get to relax and just 'be' together alone, which is not very often and so I really savour those moments. Being your Mother is pure magic... I delight in the very thought of you.

These new cushions make our living space look ... FRESH! Gives it a much more summery feel than the others I have, which are much more a winter palette of browns, taupe, red and orange. Now we have a summer/winter palette. I feel SO grown up!!

Guess I should change over to the winter cushions about now then? Nah...

Monday, 27 July 2009

I could not agree with this post of Andrea's more... it is just so true!

An excellent reminder to why my days are very slow now, and I am more than okay with that...

Gives me time to be in the moment... to pay attention:

to Joshua and all his cute little antics at the moment

to Mikaela as she reads to me at the end of the day, or tells me excitedly about her day at school, her friends, her teachers, what she learnt... as she tells me stories, or her thoughts as we walk along together....

to Benjamin, our new little rockin' babe... he had a tough week or so all colicy but is MUCH improved now with me making a change to my diet... paying attention!

to my husband... paying attention to all that he does for me and our family, giving back to him as much as I can.

Sunday, 26 July 2009

You know sometimes when you are really close to realising a dream... you seem to get further away from it, or there are all sorts of obsitcals and red-herrings sent your way to test you...

These are a couple of quotes that I have always really resonated with:

Just before a dream is fulfilled, the Soul of the World decides to test everything that was learned on the journey.(The Alchemist)Paulo Coelho

You know the nearer your destinationThe more you're slip slidin' away

Paul Simon

I've not felt that way for a while now, but I do remember a few very distinct times in my life when I have...

One where I was expecting a permanent public servant job {the very first job I went back to when Mikaela was a toddler}, which didn't happen and paved the way for me to become a contract Technical Writer... a MUCH better job than the one I cried all day about not getting :) !

Others to do with relationships that were just not meant to be... and the universe has rewarded me immensely with the relationship I have now for not sticking with those previous ones which were not good for me or the life I dreamed of.

Others to do with opportunities such as teaching at CIT or photographic jobs, that would never have been realised if I had of followed the 'red-herring' the universe sent to test me.

So I really love that... I love that the universe, or your "God" or the "Soul of the World" as Paulo puts it will actually conspire to make your dreams come true... you just need to listen to that little voice within you, have confidence and courage and follow your heart {your dreams}...

You ever felt the closer you are to realising a dream, the more you are slipping away from it?

Friday, 24 July 2009

I love that he is such a hands on Dad and super supportive husband, he does everything for me and the children. From changing nappies in the middle of the night, to running out to get medicine, to doing the groceries & markets (every week), unpacking the dishwasher, putting on a load of washing... pretty much anything and everything that is required to be done, he will do just as much as me, if not more somedays! We are really lucky.

I love that he thinks I am gorgeous no matter what state I am in... including just weeks after having a baby;

I love that he delights in our children's antics as much as I do... tho he is a little less tolerant of the noise at times (actually I can be quite intolerant at times too!);

I love that he is super sporty and active with the children... he is always up to some outdoor fun and is equally into and encouraging of all their activities;

I love that he is my best friend and we talk non-stop about everything, anything and nothing;

I love that he makes me laugh so much;

I love that he is a stylish guy... he always looks good whether he is in a suit or weekend gear... he is a hottie (to Me anyways :));

I love that he used to make me a coffee religiously every morning...(hint hint);

I love thathe is really passionate about his footy, he loves the Crows and watches them no matter what! what I love the most is that he is happy to tape it so as not to interfere with family activities, and he doesn't get all crabby and grumpy if they lose;

I love thathe knows exactly what to say to make me feel better.

I love thathe just gets me.

I love thathe loves me as he does.

I love thathe has made my life a dream come true... well Me & Him.

I love thathe is my "home" always, no matter what I know that we are.

I love thathe is the love of my life.

I love thathe understands that even tho I have a fabulous camera and additional bits and pieces... I need a professional photographer to take photos of us annually (or more when we have our babies)...

I love thathe supports all my creative and artistic endeavors... and is very encouraging too :)

[photo taken by Penny of Paj Photography]

And a thing or two that I don't really love about him:

our cleaner recently asked me, or did she simply exclaim??!! "your husband, he's much younger than you, no?"... well not MUCH ~15months~ younger to be precise! I blame my mother-in-law who gave him these freakish "age REALLY well" genes... seriously Nath, his Mum and his sister Cass all look like they have baby skin! I am aware that jealousy is a curse, but hey its not the first time people have accused me of hooking up with a toy boy! And I assure you my guy is no toy boy!

the occasional time that he doesn't shave for a few days;

the other thing I don't really LOVE about my guy.... mmmmmm - ah I got nothin' else, I'll get back to you on that in another few years perhaps LOL !

So what is your random list of "loves" about your most significant other in your life?

Thursday, 23 July 2009

Some days I seriously expect way too much of myself {just like you no doubt}... but I like a certain amount of order and achievement in my days.

Tough order when you have a new babe... and a toddler, and a very activity oriented 8 year old. My great achievement of late (aside from having a shower and getting dressed)... is not to lose my mind as my babe is crying (screeching) with a sore tummy after a huge feed, for about an hour! And my toddler is pulling at my leg for attention at the same time... many of you know what I speak of! Oh and did I mention my 8 year old storming off to her bedroom and slamming the door for lack of motherly lovin'/attention/support {whatever it is at that given moment!}...

So to put my mind at some kinda ease... I created this Download Weekly Family Schedule to laminate and put onto the fridge. I am aware that I probably won't follow it very often... but just having it there makes me feel better, does that make sense?

Another option would be the cloning suggestion by Rummage. I quite like & made me laugh. Again not very practical, but makes me feel better to think of it :)

Oh... on other matters, if you go over here today, you can check out a mini album I created using a Studio Calico kit for entreARTistes Magazine... for my beautiful friend Tanya.

Wednesday, 22 July 2009

I don't seem to have the time (or the inclination) to put my thoughts or ideas into words. I do however have time every now and again for a bitta blog surfing, thought I would share a few gems I have come across of late:

Instagram Lovin

ThermoMix Living...

I love my ThermoMix

Pinterest

My Other Accounts

be real

The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning or evening. It is a little stardust caught, a segment of the rainbow which I have clutched.
-Henry David Thoreau-